Primary will decide Jackson clerk race
Ann D. Melton (left) and Kim Coggins Poteet.
For the two Democrats running to serve as Jackson County’s next clerk of Superior Court, the results of the May 8 Primary Election will decide who takes the seat in December.
Kimberly Coggins Poteet is attempting to unseat incumbent Ann Melton, who has held the office for 13 years and is seeking another four-year term. Both candidates cite their experience as the reason why voters should choose them at the polls, and while Melton and Poteet both have significant relevant experience, their résumés look quite different.
Melton, a graduate of Southwestern Community College and certified public manager through the N.C. Public Managers Program, has worked in the Jackson County clerk’s office for 33 years total, working as assistant and deputy clerk prior to being elected to the clerk’s office.
“It’s been a privilege to serve in the clerk’s office,” she said. “My job is a very intricate part of who I am because I’ve worked here so long. I take a lot of pride in the office.”
Poteet, meanwhile, has had a 35-year career in the Western North Carolina court system — just not in the clerk’s office. A summa cum laude graduate of Western Carolina University, she worked most of those years as a probation officer, and the last eight years she’s been the judicial services coordinator with the probation office. The position involves work in all seven counties of the 30th Judicial District.
“That has given me the unique experience to see how things are handled and figures are dealt with in a lot of different settings, in a lot of different counties,” said Poteet. “I feel like that’s a unique situation in that I can come into an office with ideas and goals that I have seen that work well in other counties in the clerk’s office.”
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In Melton’s view, integrity and equality are central to the function of the clerk’s office. She handles about a million dollars a year in court settlements, fees, bonds and the like, and when acting as a judge must render just decisions unswayed by partisan interests or fear of being criticized. She believes her office demonstrates those values well.
“I understand how important public trust is, so I would want to continue to maintain that,” she said. “My staff, they are dedicated to doing the very best job that they can do.”
It’s a difficult and detail-laden job, which is why — as her slogan states — “experience matters,” Melton said.
“Most of the people who conduct business in my office, they’re involved in a controversy,” she said. “They’re losing their home. They have experienced the death of a loved one. They’re not here by choice. So it’s very important that those folks are made to feel at ease and that they get the right information.”
Poteet, meanwhile, believes that there is room for improvement in the clerk’s office. It’s not bad, she said, but it could be better.
“I think the accessibility could be better,” she said. “I think the professionalism could be better and I think everybody could be treated in a more courteous manner.”
In terms of accessibility, Poteet would like to see hours more amenable to working people who need to do business at the clerk’s office, as well as better use of technology to streamline services, citing examples of tech fixes she’s seen at work in other nearby counties.
“I think I could really use my experience and my education and just my background to make really great innovations and great changes to make it the best clerk’s office,” she said. “My goal would be to make it the best and most efficient clerk’s office in the state of North Carolina.”
In Melton’s view, her leadership is key to maintaining what she sees as an already top-notch operation.
“Over the last 13 years, I have kept the office modern and up-to-date while implementing new practices and services as mandated by the North Carolina judicial system,” she said. “Under my leadership, my staff of professional, courteous and knowledgeable individuals has worked tirelessly to improve the efficiency and day-to-day operations of the clerk’s office.”
Ann D. Melton
• Age: 54
• Qualifications: Graduate of Southwestern Community College with certification from the N.C. Public Managers Program. Has worked 33 years in the clerk’s office, 13 as the elected clerk of court.
• Current position: Jackson County Clerk of Superior Court
• Reason to run: “I want to continue to serve the folks in this county. I’ve developed a reputation for serving them to where the office can maintain the public trust that I think we’ve earned. I feel like my experience in the clerk’s office has a lot to offer.”
Kim Coggins Poteet
• Age: 56
• Qualifications: Graduate of Western Carolina University. Has worked 35 years in the Western North Carolina court system as a probation officer and judicial services coordinator in the probation office.
• Current position: Judicial services coordinator in the probation office of the 30th Judicial District.
• Reason to run: “I’ve been a public servant my entire 35-year career, serving the citizens and protecting the citizens of North Carolina. I feel like at this time I’m ready to continue my public service. I’m well suited for this position, and I think it would just continue my public service in a different way. I know I could make the clerk’s office better.”
